Kitty Bartholomew

 

 

 

 

Hello! I have Kitty Bartholomew’s decorating to share with you today.   Do you remember her? She was on tv for a good while. I used to watch her every chance I got.  Her philosophy is ; It’s not what you don’t have, it’s what you do with what you do have.  Her style is timeless.

 

 

 

 I have loved this living room from the first minute I saw it!   I love green walls and  look at the upholstery on that sofa!  I still lust over that sofa, seriously I do.  The majolica plates surrounding the mirror behind the sofa are her colors.   No window treatments here, she didn’t have a privacy issue in this room.  This was the house she lived in when I first started watching her on HGTV.  This is such a sharp contrast to what you see being sold now, no white/grey walls here and no sign of white furniture.

 

 

 

 

Ah, yes this is what is promoted now!  White walls and white window dressings.  In comparison to all the rich colors seen here, the white homes we see so often seem cold.  However she was showing the difference color and pattern can make in your home versus the all white look.

 

 

 

 

I still love this kitchen.  She painted her cabinets white but brought in color and interest with her ceramic green tiles on her counter.  If you notice it’s not one solid color but various shades of green.  Such a striking effect and yet so much cheaper than granite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She brought in a beautiful mural that gave the kitchen such interest.   She continued some of the vine in it and had it trailing on the top of her cabinets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is where the kitchen was before the transformation.

 

 

Then she moved into a cottage with  a little different look.

The wood mantle and wall were buried under layers of paint.

 

 

 

Red slipcovers made for winter and the blue set for summer.

 

She isn’t a fan of white walls.  She doesn’t want a precious coffee table that has to be watched carefully.  Her coffee table has seen a lot of use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She wanted her small dining room to feel warm and welcoming and had a shelf installed around the room.  She filled it with books to give it a library feel.

 

 

 

 

Didn't it come out pretty?!

 

Her colors are found in the entryway of her home.  It sets the tone for her house.  You can see into the dining room with its many books and the large piece of art.  Looking further you can see into the kitchen and the open shelves displaying her colorful dishes.  You can order Kitty Bartholomew’s Decorating Style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She took off the cabinet doors before anyone else did!  You can see lots of color in her dishes.  Another sharp contrast to todays kitchen where you see valuable storage lost when the cabinets are taken down and shelves are used for displaying in the kitchen.  Kitty has lots of storage here and has the opportunity to display her colorful dishes.

 

 

 

 

 

Every time I see this photo I smell chocolate chip cookies cooking in her oven!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She painted the wall behind the shelves in a red plaid. It gives the room a lot of bang!  Then she brought baskets in for storage.  Everything is easily retrieved and she hasn’t lost any storage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is the before.  All white like a lot of kitchens now.  A sterile antiseptic look. 

 

 

 

 

The bathroom before it got prettied up. 

 

 

 

 

 

Her bathroom wasn’t gutted and everything taken out and thrown away.  She made the most of what she had!   This is a very pretty bathroom, look at what she did here.  She brought in a wooden bureau which gives her more storage.  She has a skirt on her sink that matches her curtains on the window.  She added dentil molding which she got from a friend’s house that was being remodeled.  She hung plates in her bathroom as she has in every room in her home.  She has brought a metal chandelier with covered lampshades and little crystals dangling down. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A soap dish that was past its prime got a decoupage finish. 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitty’s approach is inspiring and shows that you can make your home a cozy retreat that is full of lush color and comfort.  She doesn’t present a home where someone is afraid to touch something and it shows in her decorating.  It looks like a home that was well thought out and enjoyed thoroughly for those living there.  She has a hands on approach to her decorating.

 Jan